Twelve Shots of Shuuya
by Aviantei
Summary: [One Shot Anthology] That summer had ended, but life certainly hadn't. In the three years that followed, the Mekakushi Dan's third member still had a lot to learn about life and himself. [Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit]
1. 00 Cleanup

**Twelve Shots of Shuuya**

By: Aviantei

A _Kagerou Project_ Anthology

[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit 1/12]

00\. Cleanup

* * *

"It's sure cold in here, huh?"

Ayano's breath frosted the air as she tightened her scarf. Shuuya fingers slipped on his zipper, wishing he had gloves. Tsubomi's hood was up, but the tip of her nose was pink, and Marry was suctioned to Kousuke's side as he headed for the light switch.

"Well, the last time we were in here was summer," he said, turning on the lights and then moving to the thermostat. "At least the power's still on, but it'll take a while for the heater to do any good. Until then, we'll just have to work hard to stay warm, right?"

Shuuya went to toss in a comment, but Ayano nodded with a clap of her hands. She seemed excited, but it was more the fact that she was actually there that stopped him. Right there. Real. _Alive._ August had been months ago, but Shuuya still wasn't used to it. "Nothing to start off the new year like some cleaning up," she said. Being stuck in the Heat Haze had obviously altered her priorities. "Where should we start?"

The hideout wasn't particularly cluttered or anything. In fact, Marry's cleaning job had held true, save for the months' layers of dust. The messiest things were probably the remnants of their improvised sleepover for Momo and Shintaro, and the storage space they had never actually gotten around to organizing.

But it had ultimately been a secret base. Now that Ayano was alive and Kenjiro had become himself again, the reason for their powers understood, there wasn't much need for the Mekakushi Dan any more.

"We managed to drag a lot of crap in here," Tsubomi muttered, staring down at the couches and table in the middle of the living room. They had walked here, so there was no getting rid of anything big. Tsubomi shook her head with a sigh. "This will definitely take more than a few days to finish up."

"It should be fun, though!" Again, Ayano's enthusiasm perked up the situation. Even Marry, who hadn't grown up with Ayano, seemed excited. Then again, it was hard to tell with her face obscured by the green of Kousuke's jacket. "I at least want to check out the place. You guys stayed here a lot, so I wanna take a good look around before we clear it out." Kousuke grinned, and even Tsubomi's lips gave way to a smile.

"I'll show you around then," Shuuya offered. For a moment, he locked eyes with Tsubomi, but Shuuya only tossed her a shrug in return. Maybe because they understood each other, she wouldn't try and accuse him of slacking. "It'll be real quick, then Onee-chan and I will get right to helping out okay?"

* * *

It really wasn't a big place at all, so it didn't take too long for Shuuya to show Ayano around. Tsubomi had started hacking away at the living room, and Kousuke was helping Marry sort out boxes of random trinkets from the medusa's closet, everything from Marry's handmade flowers to a stray party popper spread out on the floor.

"Let's start out over here, then," Ayano suggested, pointing to a stack of totes left alongside the wall in the kitchen. They had moved a lot of things out of the house once Ayano was gone, though there hadn't been quite enough space in the hideout to spread things out. "Since it's already packed up we could move it easily…" She pulled open one of the lids, revealing some clothes that none of them could really wear anymore. Ayano lifted up a t-shirt, that probably used to be Kousuke's. "Then again, maybe we should just get rid of some of it?"

Shuuya nodded, unable to repress a shiver. The heater had started running during their tour, but it wasn't quite up to speed yet. "Tsubomi's sure a slave driver. Spring cleaning shouldn't start 'til March at the earliest." He opened up another tote, finding nothing but some old notebooks that probably hadn't been written in since Ayano was alive.

 _She's here now,_ he reminded himself. _You don't have to think like that anymore._

Ayano giggled, the same as anytime Shuuya had made a dumb joke when we was younger. The Heat Haze hadn't changed her much, or maybe nostalgia was getting in the way. Ayano tucked a strand behind her ear, still shuffling through the shirts. "Maybe Hibiya-kun could wear some of these?"

"Could and will are two different things." Shuuya found another crate filled with old toys and board games, mostly free of dust. Kousuke had taught Marry how to play all of them, letting her win most of the time. "Sheesh, what did we think we needed all this junk for anyway?"

Even as he said it, he knew. He knew exactly what they had wanted this all for. Because they had wanted to hold on to everything from their time as a complete family. Even back before Ayaka had passed, before Kenjiro became possessed, before Ayano…

"Are you okay? Is it too cold for you?" Ayano had unwound her scarf—still red, still the color of a hero—and hooked it around Shuuya's neck before he could protest. With expert hands, she had tied a warm knot next to his shoulder. "Hm, red's still a good color for you. Maybe I should have bought you a different hoodie back then?"

Shuuya almost flinched, feeling his eye power flicker in an attempt to cover it up. But he remembered that Ayano didn't think his eyes— _any_ of their eyes—made them monsters. With everything he had done, she would still smile at him, still take care of him.

He didn't want to cry. He had already cried enough months ago: cried for relief, cried for guilt, cried tears that he let someone else see, not hidden behind his masks. He didn't deserve to cry anymore. He fought the instinct of his ability; Ayano didn't deserve to be treated to a lie.

"Shuuya," she whispered, making him open his eyes. Ayano's own shimmered red. "I love you very much. You know that right?"

"I know." He knew even without her power, but the connection helped, giving him peace. Ayano really was the perfect big sister, caring and compassionate, always ready to help him out. Shuuya took a deep breath, putting on a smile without lies. "And if you had gotten me a red jacket, I would've matched Shintaro. He tugged at his hood, still on even under his thicker winter jacket. This one suits me just fine, Onee-chan."

Ayano smiled in return, her eyes fading back to dark brown. "Good, I'm glad you liked it that much." She let go of the scarf, leaving it for Shuuya to wear. The chill didn't seem to bother her too badly. "How much of this do you want to keep? If we're not going to use it then maybe we should at least donate it."

"Hm, maybe." There wasn't too much point in keeping any of it anymore, besides from the memories. "We should probably talk it over with the others. I might not want anything, but who knows what Kousuke might have stowed away in here." Even Tsubomi could be sentimental when the right moment came.

"Then let's try and organize it so they can look through it easier," Ayano said. Shuuya grimaced as he found what looked to be a tangled mass of cords in a case, but they had to start somewhere. "Who knows, maybe we'll find something else interesting in here?"

* * *

In the end, they kept the board games and some stuffed animals that Marry would like, but there were several totes it would probably be best to get rid of. It was getting time for dinner when Ayano decided it would best to stop for the day, and Tsubomi agreed with more than a bit of stray lint clinging to her hair. Marry was still toying with her party popper, and squeaked when she accidentally tugged the string too hard, setting it off. Kousuke was searching for a game to play, leaving Shuuya to call for dinner.

"Thanks for taking care of that," Ayano said once he hung up. The heater was finally running in full force, but Shuuya still had her scarf on. He went to tug it off, but she stopped his hands with her own. "Don't worry about it. I won't need it until we go back outside."

"Hey, anyone want to play Rich Man Poor Man?" Kousuke called, waving a pack of cards and cutting off Shuuya's protest. Always up to any game, Ayano chimed in, offering to shuffle the deck. Marry rushed to brush her confetti explosion from the table, and Tsubomi removed her earbuds in interest. "Some of the others are gonna come over to help, too, so we can have a warm up game before they get here!"

Even as the rest of the Mekakushi Dan filed inside, bringing in bursts of winter air, Ayano's scarf still carried the faint scent of summer.

* * *

 **[NOTES]** Well, I may have disappeared in the past few months due to life (school, work, and noveling), but I will always come back for **[Twelve Shots of Summer]**!

 **[Twelve Shots of Summer]** is a one shot based writing challenge, in which you are given prompts to write one short story per week of summer. We're just getting started, so I would go ahead and maybe poke around the forum, or possibly just take a look at the C2 for some of the work that we've done the past two summers. We're all over the place as writers, so there will be something good for you out there, I promise.

This is our third year, so I decided to try something a bit different. I'm going for the anthology challenge, and so will be writing Twelve Shots focusing on Kano Shuuya! My hope is that these one shots will be able to cover the three years following canon (with some headcanoning because why not). I will also be doing a seasonal challenge, as well as looking at Shuuya's relationships with the Mekakushi Dan (in numerical order no less). There's a bunch of other personal challenges I'll also be doing, but just know this might be a crazy ride.

The fact that I'm focusing on Shuuya for the third T-Sauce Year is relevant, since Shuuya's number is three, too! (shot)

This week's prompts were: "Inheritance," "Unfinished Business," and the optional classic of Chekov's Gun! In this case, the hoodies from Ayano are the inheritance, cleaning up the secret base is the unfinished business, and party popper Marry sets off is a parody on Chekov's Gun (after all, if it appears in the first act, it must go off by the second or third)! I'm really excited for the rest of the summer, and hope to bring about regular story updates as well.

Week two's prompts are "Spreading Grand Wings," "Down to the Foundation," and the optional classic Backstory! Personal challenges include Spring and Shuuya's relationship with Tsubomi! I've actually already written it, but if you want something else to read in the meantime, maybe check through those archives? Or just keep your eyes out for anything with the **[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit]** tag!

See you then!

[NOTES] 060416


	2. 01 Endeavor

**Twelve Shots of Shuuya**

By: Aviantei

A _Kagerou Project_ Anthology

[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit 2/12]

01\. Endeavor

* * *

"Alright, what are you hiding there?"

Shuuya stopped in the middle of the doorway and turned to see Tsubomi. Her hands were harmlessly in her pockets, but he could recognize that glare anywhere, even diluted a bit. Kousuke had left for work in the morning, Marry following in his wake. "You didn't go with Onee-chan today?" he asked. Ayano and Kenjiro had arranged a small day trip, and Shuuya had been banking on Tsubomi going with them, leaving an empty house.

"Now you're just sounding even more suspicious," Tsubomi accused, voice only laced with half of her usual venom. She hadn't started closing in on him or threatening violence, either. The return of their family to normal had mellowed her out quite a bit. Tsubomi pointed, the wire of her earbuds tucked between her fingers. "Come on, spill. What's in the bag?"

It was an automatic loss. If Shuuya tried to fluster her, Tsubomi's retaliation level still had the potential to fly off the charts. At the very least, she could keep a secret, too, so it wouldn't be a walking time bomb like Kousuke.

Flashing a smile and a shrug, Shuuya reached into the bag. No need to seem defeated now. Finding the sweater, he pulled it out, making sure to bring the button up shirt with it. "Tada!"

Tsubomi narrowed her eyes, then grimaced. "Don't tell me you stole that or something," she grumbled, already looking exasperated. Her hand twitched, like she wanted nothing else than to put her earphones back in and forget she had ever instigated the conversation.

"Now, now, don't be rude," Shuuya teased, returning the shirt to the bag and setting it down. He undid the sweater's buttons gently tossing it around his shoulders. "I earned this, you know. Got accepted and everything." Sliding both arms into the sleeves, he looked over himself. Much better than the girls' uniform in the days he had taken on Ayano's image. "I think it suits me, don't you?"

Tsubomi attempted to form a few sentences, cutting herself off with a sigh. "Nothing you do surprises me anymore," she muttered. Shuuya experimentally did up a few buttons, but ultimately decided to leave them open. "I think Onee-chan would have seen you when you took the entrance exam, tho—don't tell me you…"

Shuuya grinned and activated his power, even as Tsubomi put a hand to her forehead and looked up to the rim of her hood avoiding eye contact. "Behold, Completely Nondescript Student A!" he declared. It was really the most generic appearance he could think of, and it had been best to avoid Ayano's attention. "These simple changes are easy enough to pull off, plus even easier when I'm only trying to keep out of one person's line of sight, you know. Onee-chan didn't notice me, and we sat next to each other one exam day, too!"

If Tsubomi got any more exasperated, her face would probably turn purple. "Ka—" she started, but stopped herself. They had called each other by their family names for so long, even if under the silly secret organization guise, that it wasn't hard to have one of them to fall back onto the habit. Just the other day he had almost called her Kido before remembering it wasn't necessary anymore. "Shuuya," Tsubomi corrected, "you're serious about this? Actually going to a public school?"

Shuuya had been to the school before at Ayano's request, but there were somethings that were best kept as secrets between them. He propped a hand on his hip, flippancy having served as his default for so many times. "Not all of us got to have fancy private tutoring like the Little Miss here," he teased, and Tsubomi tried to tug her hood up to hide the transition to red in her ear tips. "I just wanna try it, really. Who knows, maybe I'll be a prodigy and do something worthwhile with my time."

It was unlikely, given his history with education. His mother had always kept him at home, not letting him out too much, the orphanage had tried its best but there was only so much they could do there, and Kenjiro and Ayaka's homeschooling had only lasted until his second mother had died, and Ayano's clumsy but loving attempts had also faded into the Heat Haze…

"Well, I guess if anyone can pull it off, it would be you." Shuuya grimaced, further gritting his teeth at his own reaction. Even though he tried to convince himself that it was natural, the level of forgiveness everyone had given him still felt undeserved. Tsubomi had hardly ever given him any slack, but she was believing in him, even now. "You're not focusing."

The growl was accompanied by a light jab to his side. Even with his plush new sweater, Shuuya felt it, though there didn't seem to be a bruise from this one. Shuuya tried to toss up a puppy dog pout, but Tsubomi only ruffled his hair instead, sparing him from eye contact.

"Are you worried?" she asked, voice low and soft. Not quite up to Ayano's par, but caring for Tsubomi. Shuuya closed his eyes and allowed himself to nod. Tsubomi let out a snort, but he knew it wasn't malicious. "You sneak around behind everyone's backs and pass an entrance exam, and you're worried about going to high school? I think we've survived a lot worse than that."

He knew it was true. Even if he couldn't remember every summer like Shintaro could, Shuuya could remember enough. From the Clearing Eyes snake, all the way back to his first death and trip to the Heat Haze. And even though the circumstances hadn't been ideal, he had still enjoyed the atmosphere at the school. He had at least earned this much, right?

"But I'm a liar," he whispered. No illusion of a smile could cover that up. Tsubomi slackened her arm, closing up some of the distance between them, but she didn't move her hand.

"Yes, you are," she said. Shuuya would've chuckled if he weren't so afraid of choking on his own voice. "But that's not all you are. We don't have to live in our powers anymore. I don't have to disappear anymore, and you don't always have to lie, either." Tsubomi shuffled her arm around Shuuya's shoulder, though neither of them moved into eye contact. "You're just doing a lot better than I am at finding a new place to start. I really don't think I could handle going to public school after all this time."

This time, the snicker broke loose. "You'd just disappear and be considered truant all the ti—ow, ow, come on Tsubomi!"

Tsubomi released her death grip on his shoulder, tossing him a sidelong glance. Shuuya returned it, a smile slipping onto his face before he could realize. He didn't know that he could feel this relaxed anymore, even with Ayano back. Something had reset inside him, though he wasn't quite sure what it was.

"Okay," he said, letting out a small puff of air. Tsubomi stepped back, though she was within arms' length. "Sorry for getting all mopey there!" _It's just a story,_ danced on the tip of his tongue but never realized themselves. That sort of excuse wouldn't work anyway.

Tsubomi rolled her eyes, hand fiddling with her MP3 just outside of her pocket. "You don't have to give me that," she said. Considering how skilled she was at hiding herself, Tsubomi had always had a talent for staring right into him. "I just wanna know why you were sneaking around with this. It's really no big deal."

"It's a surprise for Onee-chan!" Not wanting to accidentally tear up and get snot all over his new uniform, Shuuya pulled off the sweater one sleeve at a time, tucking it safely back into the bag with the rest of the pieces. Gesturing for Tsubomi to follow, he headed towards the kitchen, feeling snackish. "It'd be super lucky, but wouldn't it be awesome if we were actually in the same class together?"

"So you _really_ just wanted to hang out with her all day."

"Mmmmaybe…"

"You know that you won't be able to wear those boots with your uniform. You're gonna lose a lot of centimeters that way, too."

"Come on, you already hit me twice. No need to go after my ego, too!"

* * *

[NOTES] Welcome back to the second entry in the [Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit] challenge! It's super early in the morning for me, but let's kick this thing off!

Thanks to kimikokimono, Chronic Guardian, laughingbelle, Soror Curantis, and FullMentalPanic for whatever favorites, follows, or reviews they may have left behind. Writing is definitely easier knowing that I have folks like them behind me. Seriously.

Anyway, this week's prompts were "Spreading Grand Wings," "Down to the Foundation," and the optional backstory. In this case, I figured that, while for some it may be a hassle, making the choice to actually go to school and strive for further improvement is a grand enough achievement for someone like Shuuya, who's probably never had a proper education. The foundation in this case is his own worries and self, which was handled a bit indirectly, but still inspired some of the elements of this fic. And, well, basically my school headcanons worked their way into this, so I'm just gonna call that backstory (though that call is up to CG, really).

I'm having fun with these pieces, and also having fun trying to get back into regular fanfic updates! While they may not be super consistent, they will certainly be in existence. If you have your eyes on a particular story of mine, you may just be surprised soon (or maybe not, depending on your luck). Hopefully we'll see some new material coming out this week.

I once again encourage you to check out the **[Twelve Shots of Summer]** forum and C2 for all its awesome challenges, writers, and content. It's a great way to stretch your writing legs for the summer, so come on by!

Next week we have: "Hold Nothing Back," "Your Average Joe," the optional foil character, Seto, and summer! How do all these things come together into a comprehensible one shot? I sure need to find that out soon! Thanks for reading and look forward to the next episode!

[POST] 061116

[EDIT] 061416


	3. 02 Simplicity

**Twelve Shots of Shuuya**

By: Aviantei

A _Kagerou Project_ Anthology

[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit 3/12]

02\. Simplicity

* * *

He had never noticed that sunrises were made up of the primary colors. There was a certain moment where the sky was turning blue, a line of pale yellow separating it from the space where the sun burned the atmosphere to red. Of course, he could have just been delirious from waking up so early, but everything else in his vision seemed clear, from the darkening green of summer trees, birds sprinkled amongst them, to the neighbor next door stretching in his front yard, looking dressed for a jog.

Shuuya yawned, flopping back into his bed with a groan. He didn't need to look at the clock to know it was too early for this. First day of summer vacation, and he was up at the crack of dawn. How was that even fair?

Worse, there was no way he was falling back asleep. Shuuya had stared at the window long enough to know that. All he could do was get up and move on with his day. Shuuya dragged himself upright and onto his feet, headed towards his school uniform, and kicked away an empty candy wrapper by his foot, remembering that he didn't _have_ to go to school today.

It was funny. Not even a year ago everyday had been a free day, and the Mekakushi Dan had done as they pleased, searching for the Kagerou Daze. Now Shuuya had grown used to his daily routine, getting up in the morning, going to school with Ayano—completely ordinary and mundane.

 _I suppose there's always summer homework…_

Yeah, he couldn't quite convince himself to go along with that one. Ayano would probably rope him into a study session at some point or another. Not that she would be very helpful at figuring out the assignments, but it would be a fun time nonetheless.

Shuuya smiled a bit, not bothering to change out of his pajamas and heading for the door. He could at least scrounge up breakfast for himself.

* * *

"Good morning," Shuuya mumbled, tempted by the smell of coffee. Kenjiro must have woken up earlier, but was nowhere to be found. Instead, Kousuke was humming at the stove, frying up what looked to be pork.

"Good morning!" he chirped in reply, flashing a grin over his shoulder. "I was just making enough for me, but you can have some if you want."

"Yes, please." Shuuya almost yawned through the words, but managed to keep it to himself. Wanting to offer to help but knowing he would just make a mess of things in his current state, Shuuya dropped into a chair at the kitchen table instead. Kousuke didn't seem bothered, coming over with plates and bowls balanced across his arms a few short minutes later.

Besides the pork, Kousuke set rice and natto on the table—one meal for Shuuya, the other for himself. While Ayano and Tsubomi took up the mantle in the kitchen most mornings, Kousuke wasn't a slouch, either. Shuuya hardly got through his thanks for the meal before snatching up his first bite.

 _Mm._ Just as good as he remembered.

"I usually don't catch you up this early," Kousuke remarked, and Shuuya shrugged, chewing before answering:

"That's 'cause you're always up for work before the rest of us can even think straight." Once Ayano had found out Shuuya was coming along, she had tried to convince her other siblings to try out school for themselves. Kousuke had opted to keep up working instead, as he had a pretty solid temp job history from the past few years. "You don't get home until later, either since you always go and spend time with Marry. I'm your own brother and I hardly ever see you anymore." The last bits were teasing, and Kousuke would know that, even without Shuuya flashing a grin in his direction.

That didn't stop Kousuke from blushing at Marry's name. "Well, you know…" he said, taking an especially long stare at his natto, as if inspecting each bean. "She likes her family's house, but it's a bit out there in the woods. Not really ideal for getting to work in the mornings." Shuuya allowed himself a smirk. "If I keep saving up by the time I'm old enough to move out, we should be able to get a nice place."

"For such a dunce you really are going all out with this, aren't you?" Shuuya snickered, and Kousuke only went darker, looking as if he wanted to bolt from his seat.

Shuuya was happy for his brother, though, even if it meant they didn't see each other much. All of their birthdays had passed in a blur earlier in the year, and it wouldn't be long before they were considered adults. Even though Shuuya had a couple of extra years thanks to his late entry to school, it didn't change the fact that turning eighteen was on the horizon.

"So you're on vacation, right?" It seemed breakfast and conversation had won out in the end, Kousuke mixing his natto and rice together.

"First summer vacation ever!"

"Onee-chan was talking about taking a big trip together, I think," Kousuke mused. "It would be fun to go relax with everyone. I'll have to take some days off for that."

That would probably be later in the summer, once Ayano had time to organize. That didn't give Shuuya something to do today. And even though summer homework wasn't the most appealing prospect, Shuuya _had_ been trying new things lately.

"Well," he said, with a flourish of his chopsticks, "since you're working today, how about I come with you?"

* * *

Kousuke didn't have a problem with the proposed plan of action, and his current boss was more than happy to have an extra pair of hands around. The July heat was nothing compared to last year's August, but Shuuya was still sweating far before he was able to collapse into their given lunch break, too busy trying to catch his breath to remember the sandwiches they had packed up for themselves before leaving.

Happily munching on his own lunch, Kousuke didn't seem any worse for wear. The job of the day was a delivery project, and they had been loading and unloading boxes into the boss's truck all day. Shuuya could lift more than he looked capable of, but not by much. Kousuke had easily outpaced him the entire morning, and, even though it was to be expected, Shuuya had grimaced at the gap between them.

His moping was broken up as Kousuke nudged a still wrapped sandwich against Shuuya's cheek. "You gotta eat to keep your energy up," Kousuke said, one cheek puffed out like a squirrel's, still chewing on his latest bite. "There's still a lot to get through today. You're dragging as it is."

"You think I don't know that?" Shuuya pouted, crumbling up the plastic from his sandwich and taking a bite. They had packed a lot, but Shuuya would probably need at least three more of these to keep himself going. Not to mention at least a gallon of water. "Eh, being a normal guy is hard…"

"Think so?" Kousuke finished off his first sandwich and headed for his second. Shuuya tried to chew faster before his brother ate them all. "I guess I've been doing this for so long I never really thought about it. It just seemed natural to me."

For a moment, Shuuya felt guilty. Even though they and Tsubomi were roughly the same age, Shuuya was technically the youngest out of the three. Kousuke had done a lot of work to help him, Tsubomi, and Marry all out, especially after Ayano was gone, and he had never complained once. Whining about something Shuuya had butted his way into was trivial in comparison.

"Hey, what's that look for? You wanna head home?"

"No," Shuuya protested a little bit too quickly. It didn't really matter, though. He couldn't lie worth crap to Kousuke, even though it was supposed to be his specialty. "Just some stray thoughts. We never thanked you enough, did we? At least I didn't."

Kousuke rolled his eyes, lightly shoving Shuuya's shoulder. "Don't be silly. I didn't mind at all." It wasn't quite as reassuring as it should have been, and Kousuke caught on, even with his eyes in their usual bright yellow. "Besides, you were always out looking for information and other members. You worked hard, too."

 _That wasn't all I was doing—_ but Shuuya cut thought off before it could fester. His feet ached, he smelled like sweat, and his lungs still seemed to be questioning his activity decisions, but today hadn't been too bad of a day so far. The work was monotonous enough without having things like that run through his mind.

"So," Kousuke declared, claiming another sandwich from their shared pile, "we thanked each other by putting equal effort into it. That's good enough for me."

Shuuya didn't think that was quite how it worked, but Kousuke's grin was too contagious to try and convince him otherwise.

* * *

As if his tenacity wasn't enough as it was, Kousuke managed to keep up a steady stream of chatter through the second half of the work day and still keep on par. Shuuya could only provide a few gasped out responses here and there, but it definitely kept his brain occupied enough that he didn't even notice that it was already getting close to evening and they were free to go for the day.

But not after getting their pay first. Since all positions were temporary were Kousuke was concerned, he pulled cash on a daily basis. Since he had come from recommendation, Shuuya was granted the same courtesy as well, and ended up a little bit more than surprised that the money in his pocket was his, not a gift or allowance.

"I still…think you're impressive," Shuuya said between breaths. The sun was sinking and leaving the air cool, crisp and free of humidity, but he still felt worn out. At this rate, Kousuke would have to carry him the rest of the way home, and Shuuya didn't think that was fair or worth the teasing he would get out of it. "You're not going to see Marry, though?"

"Nah, not today," Kousuke said, just as chipper as he had been humming over the stove in the morning. "I called her earlier and she said she'd be okay if I went home. She's okay with me spending time at home, too." Considering how much Marry enjoyed Kousuke's presence, it was almost impressive. "Besides, she's been spending time with Kisaragi, too, so it'll all be good."

Shuuya nodded, twisting the cap away from the last bottle of water they had between them. It wasn't cold by a long shot anymore, but it was better than nothing. "I'm sure they're having a grand old clumsy time," he said, not wanting to imagine whatever disaster the two could get into. Well, as long as they were having fun, he supposed.

"But what did you think about today?" Kousuke smiled at him, expectant. Shuuya sighed, not really sure what else to say but the truth.

"Long, hot, and exhausting." He had even needed to take off his hoodie—and that wasn't something he did on just any occasion. "I feel like I could sleep for a week." Not the best use of his summer vacation, by far.

Kousuke nodded. "But worth it, right?"

Shuuya thought about it for a moment, staring idly down the street. In their neighborhood the pavement took on the tint of orange from the sunset. On ground level, he didn't have as good as a vantage point, but he was sure the sky had been those primary colors again, at least for a moment. Kousuke nudged his hand for the water bottle, and Shuuya passed it over, glad to have this time together, even if it was only a moment in passing.

"Yeah," he said, a smile forming on his lips without calculation. "Definitely worth it."

Up the street their house came into view, lights on upstairs and a few from the kitchen. Kenjiro was off for vacation as well, and Tsubomi and Ayano had probably gotten started on dinner. They were all coming home together, as a family. Kousuke raced ahead without warning, splashing water on the concrete, and Shuuya failed to catch up with him, only to find his brother waiting for him at the unopened door.

"You wanna come again tomorrow?"

* * *

[NOTES] This piece is dedicated to ElementLegend, who requested some platonic Shuuya/Kousuke fic! Well, here it is, and I hope it meets your expectations, dear Element-chan. I look forward to seeing what you come up for my Konoha/Marry in return! :)

Also thanks to Bacteria Emperor, HAcker741, Shad0wKat, Chronic Guardian, laughingbelle, and FullMentalPanic for their follows, favorites, and reviews! Extra thanks to the **[Twelve Shots of Summer]** community in general for being super supportive about this collection. Whether it's in reviews or just passing comments in the forums, these guys are the best! Seriously.

If you haven't guessed, that's the cue to go check out the T-Sauce forum and possibly join up. Or, at the very least, keep your eye out for more works with this year's **[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit]** tag. You won't regret it, I promise you.

That being said, I think that out of all the KagePro relationships, Shuuya and Kousuke's is my favorite. Not only do they compliment each other super well, but Shuuya has the sense of security that, even if he does lie, Kousuke's own ability will be able to counteract it. Um, not that I went into that route for this piece since I wanted to focus on a slightly different theme, but I really do feel like these two have a great amount of trust and respect for each other. I hope that I showed that properly.

Anyway, the prompts for this piece were "Hold Nothing Back," "Your Average Joe," and the optional Foil Character. It seems I'm aiming for vague interpretations this time, as "Hold Nothing Back" was used to represent Kousuke's attitude, "Your Average Joe" made its way in via the "Being normal is hard" line, and Foil Character was really easy because all the reasons I just listed above. Overall, I'm really happy with this piece, so I hope it was enjoyable.

Next week we have "Making Time," "A Rose by Any other Name," the optional Dramatic Irony, Autumn as the season, and it's Shuuya's solo piece. All these things apparently add up to...angst?! Find out, next Saturday, same place, slightly earlier than necessary time!

[POST] 061816

[EDIT] 070716


	4. 03 Performance

**Twelve Shots of Shuuya**

By: Aviantei

A _Kagerou Project_ Anthology

[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit 4/12]

03\. Performance

* * *

Halfway through putting on his costume, Shuuya was beginning to question if this was a good idea or not.

It was school festival season, and his class had chosen to put on a play for their activity. Wanting to participate to the fullest, Shuuya had volunteered and ended up placed in a fairly major role. Even though Ayano had worked more on the costumes and props, she had still helped him practice his lines, and Shuuya knew he had them down pat. That wasn't the problem.

That sort of thing was never the problem.

Everyone else in class seemed surprised by how good of an actor he was. Shuuya had taken it in stride, saying he had plenty of practice, but that was a joke not easily brushed off, especially when Ayano had made a point to hold his hand on the walk home.

Acting was just a form of lying, after all. Why wouldn't he be good at it?

He hadn't thought about it much since the Mekakushi Dan had all forgiven him so easily. Hardly anyone even talked about that summer much anymore—not when they were running around, trying to get their lives back together. Even Shuuya had been so preoccupied with moving into the future lately that he was starting to shrug off the past.

And he tried to keep that up, trading his uniform jacket out for the cloak that would accompany him for the first few scenes. Shuuya took his time making sure all his safety pins were fastened and secure, smoothing out the folds in the fabric, remembering to take deep breaths. This was for fun. It wasn't to trick anyone, not in a bad way. He and his classmates had worked hard, and Shuuya wasn't going to ruin—

He saw the mask in his hands and almost screamed, instead jumping back, bumping against his changing classmate's shoulder. "Crap, sorry—"

"No worries, it's cool." Shuuya tried to will the mask away from his grip, but it wouldn't go. He hoped whatever illusion he had thrown up was at least masking his eyes. "Hey, Kano, you doing okay? You don't look so hot…"

"It's just nerves," Shuuya lied before he could think otherwise. No matter how much he was easing into his school life, there was no way he'd be able to explain the Kagerou Daze, not by a longshot. He took a step back, and his classmate didn't close the difference. "I'm gonna go get some fresh air. That should help." He didn't even wait for a response as he slipped out of their changing area, able to avoid Ayano as she chatted with another member of the prop team.

The school hadn't yet opened up to the public yet, so it was easy to make it to the restroom without drawing too much attention. Almost every other student was helping put the finishing touches on their class or checking out some of the other attractions. It was already a chattering hubbub, and it would only get worse when things got started in half an hour.

He _really_ didn't have time for this.

Shuuya ducked through the door and turned on the faucet, splashing water into his face. It didn't do much good when he checked his reflection, one eye glowing red. The mask was back, even if it wasn't real. It was an illusion he had always put on for himself to make it easier to control his powers. It had been Ayano's idea, and it had made things easier.

Except now it wouldn't go away, no matter how much Shuuya tried. His power had always been useful, and it was something he had relied on for years. This selfishness, this lie— _Where is the real one?_ He thought he had found it, somewhere in the support everyone had given him, but maybe he was just kidding himself.

"I haven't really changed at all."

* * *

Without meaning to, he thought about his mother. It was something he tried not to do often—not at all, really. But every now and then he could remember her smile, remember how she had taught him to read, remembered—

He had become a liar for her. Not because she had asked, because he had wanted to. Because he wanted to take care of her, like she had taken care of him. He hadn't understood what was wrong about what she was doing, hadn't understood his own consequences, hadn't understood _anything_ really. He just believed in his mother and believed in her love, and in order to protect that he had to say he fell down the stairs or tripped into the counter.

And that meant when he woke up and she was dead and it was just him and his _eyes_ —

It was an awful nasty power, one that could only be used to serve himself. Even if he tried to pretend he was useful, he had done more harm than good. Everyone else believed it, though, that he was something good, that the color red meant they were heroes. And for Kousuke and Tsubomi, it was true, they were heroes, but he, he was—

 _I'm just a monster._

* * *

 _But is that really true?_

What?

 _Did you really ever want to hurt anyone?_

Well, no, but—

 _Then that's the difference._

 _That means you weren't a monster._

* * *

He hadn't noticed that he had started shaking, but he did notice when he stopped.

* * *

Shuuya didn't recognize the mask in his hands. He had made plenty of them in his mind, in different patterns, each to represent a different charade he had needed to put up. Smiling, laughing, Ayano's image, the occasional reflections of the others he had wished he _could_ be—but this wasn't one of them. It was similar, but the angles and patterns were less sharp, no longer distinct blank and white. Instead it had melded into a solid gray, plain but functional.

 _Not all lies are inherently bad._ Every time he had used his power, donned a mask, it had been to help someone. He had hidden himself to get closer, to help Ayano, to get her back. Of course there were times when he had been selfish, when he had been afraid, and used a lie as a cover-up to keep his image secure, but other people did that, like Tsubomi and her standoffish attitude. Sometimes people needed to pretend to become more secure, and they didn't necessarily require an ability like his to get over it.

And now Shuuya felt that he was. It wasn't perfect, but that was to be expected. This mask wasn't here to hide himself—it was to enhance, to make sure his true feelings came across for once. If he could pull off a spectacular performance, why shouldn't he?

Stepping back from the sink, Shuuya looked at the mask one more time before slowly raising it up to his face.

His reflection in the mirror remained exactly the same.

* * *

[NOTES] To be fair, I _did_ say there would be angst.

Thanks this week to patamon642 and 4everwriter for their favorites and follows! Bonus thanks to CG for being such a gosh-darn good guy and also being a giant force of inspiration all around. I hope that these words find you (and every other reader) well.

Funny how much things can change in a week, huh? In any event I guess I can't resist dealing with the angst. I mean, after all, maybe I'm just bitter that the anime only glanced the surface of Shuuya's plotline. Oh, _IV -the deceiving-_ , how I await your English release... Til now, you just have to deal with my resolutions.

Speaking of which, I feel like I actually _did_ resolve this conflict for Shuuya. Hopefully it seems like he's grown. Now we have a new base that should hopefully influence the next prompts. The first month is done and we're moving into the in-timeline second year of this story. As long as I can keep my head on straight, there should be good things yet to come. But not just I, for the whole [Twelve Shots of Summer] community is giving it their all! Be sure to check these guys out!

Speaking of which, I chose to incorporate the prompts of "Making Time" as Shuuya _not_ having time to handle the situation, and "A Rose by Any other Name" to show that, even with his masks, the person underneath the lie is always him. I failed to incorporate Dramatic Irony, but that's a bit hard to incorporate in central consciousness of one character.

Next week we have "Love of Humanity," "Jury Duty," the optional Poetic Justice, which will somehow come together in a lovely winter tale focusing on Marry. I haven't even started yet, so your guess of how things are going to pan out is as good as mine. By the end of next week, we should have it figured out!

[POST] 062516


	5. 04 Haven

**Twelve Shots of Shuuya**

By: Aviantei

A _Kagerou Project_ Anthology

[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit 5/12]

04\. Haven

* * *

The doorbell rang just as Shuuya was trying to plow through a book he had picked up from the school library for the weekend. With a sigh, he untangled himself from his blanket cocoon. Even though they had turned the heat on, it was still a bit chilly in order the save energy. Shuuya had chosen the solidarity of the living room over the cluster around the kotatsu, which wasn't very conductive to reading.

It also made him the closest to the front door, making it his duty to answer. Flinching as the cold leaked through his sock, Shuuya draped the blanket around his shoulders and shuffled to the door. Marry stood on the other side, her white hair almost blending in perfectly with the dusting of snow across the yard, the pink of her fluffy winter jacket nearly shining against her equally pale skin.

"Hello, Kano!" she chirped, even as Shuuya shivered from the newly cold air from the outside. "I know that Kousuke's not home yet, but he said I could stop by early. Do you mind if I wait here?"

"No problem, come right in," Shuuya said, stepping aside with a bow. The gesture let loose a lot more heat than he had liked, but at least Marry shut the door behind her. She quickly headed over to the table, swiping up the book he had been reading.

"Eh, I've never seen this before. Is it good?"

"It's alright so far, but I haven't been reading it too much." Shuuya focused on putting as much distance between him and the entrance as possible, attempting to shuffle across on his blanket. Marry took note of the spare trading card Shuuya had used as a bookmark with a nod. "Onee-chan and Tsubomi are with the kotatsu if you wanna warm up in there." Marry hadn't come over too much since she had moved out of the hideout, though that would probably change once Kousuke got his savings piled up properly.

Marry gently returned the book to its resting place, glancing in the area of the dining room, mittened hands coming together at her chest. "Um, is…Kenjiro-san home…?" she asked, a slight quaver in her voice. Shuuya barely held back his urge to frown. While he couldn't blame Marry for being afraid of his adoptive father for hosting the Clearing Eyes Snake, Shuuya also couldn't blame Kenjiro for trying to get Ayaka back. Considering his own actions, it wasn't a judgement that Shuuya could make.

Still, there wasn't any point in worrying Marry more than necessary. Shuuya put on a smile, patting Marry's shoulder. "Why don't we wait for Kousuke in the front yard? Gimme a sec and I'll get my coat."

* * *

Marry had already started building a verifiable snow menagerie by the time Shuuya had suited up and went outside. There wasn't too much snow out, and Marry's collecting had revealed some patches of dead grass in the yard, but they were easily ignored when you noticed she had put together the traditional snow bunny, as well as what looked like an in-progress rodent of some kind. For wearing mittens, she was surprisingly dexterous.

Settling down on the cleared off path to the door, Shuuya found a snow frog next to him, eyes and a wide smile drawn into its face. "You're pretty good at this," he said, and Marry's face lit up with enthusiasm.

"Well, when Kousuke used to come and play with me in the winter, we would do all kinds of stuff like this," she said. Shuuya remembered those trips, almost as often as he remembered the house panicking when they thought Kousuke had gotten lost on the way home. "Before he came along, I just holed up in the winter next to the fireplace with a book. But Kousuke took me outside and showed me that there was a lot of fun stuff I could do…oh, and you and Kido helped me out with that, Kano!"

Shuuya chuckled attempting to build his own mini snowman. It was really the best of his creative efforts at the moment. "I mean, if you think me teasing you about your poems helped you out…"

Marry's cheeks puffed up, but her gaze stayed locked on her current creation. Good thing, too; it was already freezing enough without Shuuya getting his motion locked down for a few minutes. "You don't have to be such a jerk about it…" she mumbled, but didn't seem on the verge of tears. At the very least, Shuuya could say he had helped her take friendly jibes a little bit better. "Still, I'm very happy that I met you all."

"Especially Kousuke," Shuuya added on for her.

Marry didn't hesitate to nod, a smile spreading across her face. "Especially Kousuke!"

"Eh, you guys are out in the snow? I thought you'd be inside."

"Kousuke!" Marry called, shooting to a standing position and rushing to the gate. Kousuke had barely opened it before getting captured into Marry's hug. "Look, look! I made Hanao out of snow!"

"You did?" Kousuke asked, almost stumbling to shrink his strides to Marry's pace. He crouched down with her, taking in the snow sculpture that Shuuya now recognized as a replica of his brother's pet hamster. "Whoa, that's awesome, he looks just like him!"

"What animal should I make next? There's not a lot of snow, so we can't do anything too big… Oh! You think if we got some icicles, we could make a hedgehog, Kousuke?"

The two quickly became caught up in their chatter, and Shuuya was able to sneak back inside without them noticing. Those two really had their own little world, and Shuuya couldn't get in the way of that. Marry and Kousuke had a bright future together, and he, at the very least, had a book that he needed to finish.

* * *

[NOTES] Phew, finished on time! I was lucky enough to have all my ideas for this piece come together well and not give me any issues!

Thanks this week go out to Chronic Guardian, who, despite being really busy himself, took a lot of time this past week to talk to me and help me through things. Seriously, dude, you keep my creative energy high. It may not be conductive to schoolwork, but it is conductive to doing what I love. So thanks for that.

Anyway, I found it ironic that the main prompt this week was "Love of Humanity" when Marry's a quarter-medusa and all, but I think it fits well since I think that the fear of the outside world is a big part of her world view until Kousuke opens that up and shows her that sort of love. I made "Jury Duty" take a much smaller part because I do feel like Marry would be nervous around Kenjiro, but Shuuya doesn't feel like he's a fair judge of the situation. I had to skip out on Poetic Justice because I couldn't think of a way to add it in without being contrived, but I do think this piece managed to capture the themes and go full circle without wasting too many words. Yay!

Hm, next week we have "Master and Student," "Through the Wasteland," the optional Pathetic Fallacy, Momo, and Spring! Hm, yes, I think these will work out very well for what I want to do. (chuckles to self)

Please look forward to it!

[POST] 070216


	6. 05 Largess

**Twelve Shots of Shuuya**

By: Aviantei

A _Kagerou Project_ Anthology

[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit 6/12]

05\. Largess

* * *

Shuuya scanned the class postings in the courtyard, finally finding his name listed under class 2-C. A skim down the same line revealed Ayano's name as well, and he smiled. It was a good thing the school didn't organize its students into classes by academic prowess, otherwise the dream of spending all three years in class with his sister would have ended right there. He would still have to worry when the curriculum split between sciences and the arts, but that was conflict a year in the future.

Satisfied, Shuuya turned away from the board, slipping around new coming first-years, nervously checking their entrance exams results posted farther down the schoolyard. Among them were a few others he recognized—students from his class and several senpai, all confirming their new room assignments.

The fact that he almost missed her was almost ironic, but Shuuya glimpsed Momo heading in through the entrance, head held high. That summer had made him used to seeing her sneak around, doing anything to avoid being seen. But now, even without Tsubomi's assistance, no one seemed to notice the idol walking among them, the Drawing Eyes ability firmly under control.

Calling out to her then probably wasn't the best idea, Shuuya considered, and instead waited until he was in a much reasonable earshot to greet her, tossing up a wave. Momo returned the gesture, her hair bouncing as she came to meet him.

"Look no farther, Kisaragi," he said, raising a finger in the air, "for I have discovered that we are classmates this year!" Momo froze in midstride, the poke at her less-than-stellar school performance striking hard.

"Y-you can't be serious!" she protested, foot stomping at the sidewalk. "I studied real hard, and Onii-chan even helped me out. I couldn't have failed my make-up exams like that!"

"It's a lie," Shuuya said before her tirade could go any further. Eye ability or no, Momo's popularity had been increasing, and there were enough kids here to start a big commotion if they realized there was an idol in their midst. "Even if you did fail out, you're not in my class, so you can rest easy!"

Momo marched forward, stubbornly stopping at the third-year's board. Her eyes skimmed the board, and Shuuya started from the opposite end, trying to find the kanji first. "Ha!" Momo called before he had even made it through the first row, her finger pointing close to the top. "Class 3-B!" She grinned, nudging an elbow into Shuuya's side. Sure enough, her name was there. "I oughta make you start calling me senpai for being such a jerk."

Shuuya chuckled, dislodging himself from Momo's arm. "How about we just go and get something to snack on instead?" It was bad enough that Momo was a grade above him when they were the same age—she really didn't need an excuse to rub it in. "You got those eyes pretty well under control, so we should be able to go downtown without too much trouble, right?"

Momo patted over her pockets and must have found what she was looking for. "Hm, alright. There was a new Sockeye-chan keychain I wanted to pick up, so we can grab that, too." Grinning, Momo grabbed onto Shuuya's sleeve, dragging him out the gate before he could even agree. "It's been a while since I've had a day off to run around!"

* * *

Even though Shuuya tended to keep lots of things to himself, he was pretty used to crowds. Being that there were only a few days left until the school year started, teenagers were everywhere, trying to soak up last bits of freedom from their spring break. Even though Momo was less adept at maneuvering around people, Shuuya let her take the lead, seeing that she actually knew what shop they were headed to.

Compared to the outside, the accessory shop was pretty devoid of people, which might have been a factor in why Momo had chosen it. Shuuya distracted himself browsing a line of backpacks he didn't really need, only to look up and find Momo trying on a pair of orange headphones, despite the wall of keychains being right behind her.

Shuuya slipped around her, easily locating the Sockeye-chan accessory in question due to its distinctive design. The exact appeal of a piece of tuna with pits of darkness for eyes was far beyond him, but the character must've been pretty popular to still have merchandise coming out. Momo seemed to be listening to the demo reel, and Shuuya dangled the keychain in front of her face, waiting for the girl to open her eyes.

When she did, Momo screamed as predicted, and years of just taking Tsubomi's punches finally helped him dodge Momo's flailing arm. Despite her indignation, Momo snatched Sockeye-chan from his grip, her free hand tugging the headphones away from her ears.

"I thought you forgot what you came here for," Shuuya said, "just thought I would remind you." Following the headphone's cord to the display case, he raised his eyebrows at the price tag. Definitely something out of his range, but Momo did make more money than the rest of the former Mekakushi Dan combined. "I didn't know you were so serious about your music, Kisaragi."

"Well, I usually don't bother too much but Leader—" Momo caught herself, her cheeks quickly tinting. Even though the gang no longer officially existed, her habit of using Tsubomi's title remained. "You know, I was thinking for her birthday—"

"Which was two months ago," Shuuya interrupted. Really, she should have known better than to try lying to him. "While I commend you for shopping in advance, I don't think there's anything wrong with getting a gift for someone you're close to without reason." He grinned, even as the remaining color drained out of Momo's face. "She taught you a lot about your powers, but I figured there was something else going on while you were hanging out."

Momo's arm hooked around Shuuya's shoulders and forced him to duck beneath the display case, even though there wasn't anyone else in the store. "She _told_ you?!" Momo hissed, aghast. She narrowed her eyes at him, and suddenly her arm seemed to be way too close to Shuuya's neck for comfort. "Who else did you tell?"

"Come on, I didn't tell anyone at all." Shuuya managed to slip free of her grasp—even if Momo was picking up on Tsubomi's body language, mimicking her strength was a whole other issue. "She didn't tell me, either; I just guessed." Momo's glare didn't lessen, though she did stand up straight. "I wasn't gonna spread it, either. I'm not a rumor mill, and idols have enough complications without their love lives leaking out."

Finally, Momo let out a huff of air, returning the headphones around her neck to their display stand. "Fine," she allowed. "I'll trust you with this. But she and I wanna tell everyone when we're ready, you got me?" Shuuya nodded, and Momo sighed again. "You know, you've actually gotten pretty respectable, Kano-san. Kinda."

Well, that was probably the best he could expect out of her. "Well, we got Sockeye-chan there. Anything else you wanna pick up before we go?"

Momo hummed in thought, still staring at the headphones. Tsubomi tended to use earbuds, but Shuuya knew she wouldn't complain about a nice studio set like that. Momo locked eyes with him, her tone once again deadly serious: "Rock, Paper, Scissors for who has to pay for lunch."

Shuuya spectacularly lost three games in a row and was left counting up the bills in his wallet as Momo tucked the box of headphones under her arm and headed for the counter.

* * *

[NOTES] I am honestly way too out of it to even think about making a proper author's note right now.

Even so, thanks to Tiffany Wave, Chronic Guardian, and professor ita-chan for their respective favorites, follows, and reviews. Like, seriously.

Please note that moving, working, being in school, and participating in two writing challenges is no easy task. But, if your schedule is less hectic than mine, please consider checking out the [Twelve Shots of Summer] challenge! We're officially halfway through, but there's still plenty of time to join in, or at least read the results!

Next week...is challenging, but I should be in a better state to post and such.

[POST] 070916


	7. 06 Rest

**Twelve Shots of Shuuya**

By: Aviantei

A _Kagerou Project_ Anthology

[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit 7/12]

06\. Rest

* * *

 _Yup. No service._

Deeming his cellphone useless for the time being, Shuuya powered it down and tucked the technology into his pocket. Not that he really needed his phone at the moment considering most of his friends were on the same vacation as him, but it would have been nice to check in with a few of his classmates. Since there wasn't much to do about it, Shuuya collapsed onto the nearby bench, trying his best to remember how to breathe.

The view was certainly worth it: occasional puffs of clouds hung over the other hills and mountains, completely covered in trees, a breaks of what were probably other trails. Slumping down, Shuuya attempted to fan himself with his hand, barely stirring the air. "Whose idea was it to go hiking in the heat again?"

Something cold hit the back of his neck, and Shuuya jumped, finding Ene dangling a water bottle in his face. He accepted it with murmured thanks. "You should probably go pay your respects at the shrine," Ene criticized before glancing at the bench. "Or at least stop hogging all the good resting spots."

Shuuya scooted aside, leaving room for Ene to sit down, where she promptly downed half of her own bottle of water. Shuuya took a sip, returning proper feeling to his throat. "I'm surprised you still have the energy to make comments like that," he teased, earning himself a glare. For a sickly girl with pigtails, Ene still had ways of scaring the crap out of people.

"And I'm surprised Ayano-chan hasn't tamed that mouth of yours yet." Shuuya shrugged with a smile. "Whatever. I nearly _died_ climbing up here. It's been two years and I'm _still_ getting used to having a normal body again."

"Well, you've definitely gotten a lot of strength back." Shuuya had seen Ene back when she was just Takane, and the fact that she could even get this far up a mountain and still be standing was a miracle in itself. "All those physical therapy sessions are paying off, then?"

"I guess," Ene grumbled. It seemed this much effort was what it took to unleash the reins on the cheerful personality she had developed. Now if only she could be more honest with the rest of her feelings. "Haruka's the one that doesn't even looked phased. You never would have guessed that he was bedridden before." That was true enough. He and Ayano had energetically lead the group, hardly even stumbling.

"Monsters, really," Shuuya joked.

"You said it."

Shuuya closed his eyes, enjoying a passing breeze. The leaves rustled. Being so far out and disconnected from even the faintest traces of home and urbanization, the sound seemed crisper, more pure. Even if it was a pain to get here, the change in atmosphere was still nice.

"It's kinda weird," Ene said, and Shuuya looked to her, seeing spots from the fresh burst of sunlight. "Even when I'm not connected into the 'net at all, I can usually still hear it—kinda like static. But here, it's complete silence. I don't think I've ever found someplace like this before."

"The woes of being a cyber girl, huh?" Ene rolled her eyes, but didn't send back a rejoinder. "It is really that weird, though?" Shuuya asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "I think that after everything, you deserve a little bit of peace and quiet, huh? Maybe you should try and get out on mountains more often."

Ene snorted, whacking his arm with her now empty water bottle. "There has got to be an easier way to do this," she grumbled, sinking further into the bench. Shuuya half expected Ene to equip her headphones and sneak in a nap, but she just sat there, seemingly content with her newfound silence. Not wanting to disturb her, Shuuya slipped off the bench, his legs somehow not feeling like they were about to collapse.

Now able to focus on something other than finding a place to rest, Shuuya looked over the temple, trying to find the main shrine. While most of the buildings were white and pale wood, but occasional accents of blue were worked into walls and window frames. After a few minutes of wandering, he found the shrine, completely void of the others; they must have finished already.

Digging through his pockets as he approached, Shuuya found some spare coins. He dropped them into the well, rang the bell, and clasped his hands together in prayer.

 _Let there always be places like this._

* * *

[NOTES] Gah, a short one. And late at that. All apologies. My move has taken up much more time than I expected, and I'm still trying to get everything back in one piece.

Thanks to Heinah for your follow! Sorry if this entry came later than you expected, but we should be back on track now!

Anyway, this week was an interesting combination of prompts and character. We had "Holy," which went into the shrine aspect, "Til the End of Time," which I struggled to include but realized it worked out well for the prayer at the end. Combining these aspects with Ene was difficult, since we're working with post canon where she doesn't have as much of a need to be in her "cyber girl" personality and can instead be more of herself... It was tricky, but I came up with something at least!

Next week is [Escape], [The Distance Between], the optional Catharsis, Shintaro, and autumn. Hm, I think this one should somehow manage to work out nicely...Please look forward to an on-time post!

[POST] 071816


	8. 07 Fragile

**Twelve Shots of Shuuya**

By: Aviantei

A _Kagerou Project_ Anthology

[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit 8/12]

07\. Fragile

* * *

Shintaro trudged into the kitchen just as Shuuya took a seat at the table. Shuuya broke eye contact first, flicking through the screens on his phone. He had really been hoping to avoid this, but Ayano, Momo, and Tsubomi were still getting ready upstairs and Kousuke had yet to return from work. Trying to ignore the pit of annoyance brewing under his gut, Shuuya opened up a rhythm game, hoping that blaring cutesy idol pop tunes would distract him long enough for someone else to show up.

Two songs later, out of life, and still nowhere close to the event reward, Shuuya locked his phone and glanced around the kitchen. Most of his family had gotten the memo to not make too much distracting noise while he was playing, but no one else was even there yet—just Shintaro, sitting on the other side of the table, glancing up from his own phone.

"Maki fan, huh?" Shintaro asked, and Shuuya just barely held back his grimace. Even now, being along with Shintaro made Shuuya nauseous, the same as when they had first met. "I never really expected you to play idol games, though."

"Just the one," Shuuya returned, trying to remain civil. Ayano had wanted to go out to dinner for the evening; they couldn't start being sour at each early. "I only picked it up a few months ago, so I still kinda suck. But I bet you've been playing it since it came out, right?"

"Yeah." Ah, lucky guess. Recovering from his hikiko-NEET status couldn't save Shintaro from being a full-out fanboy it seemed. "I heard they're updating the game soon to make it easier for newer players to catch up though, so you should have it easier soon."

"Hm." Shuuya plucked a stray piece of lint from his jacket; anything was more interesting when making eye contact with Shintaro was the alternative. They were both introverts, why couldn't they just have an awkward silence? Looking back up for a moment, Shintaro was still staring at him, looking only halfway to forming words. "Do you need something?"

Shintaro shrugged, slouching in his seat. "Not really," he said. "I just figured we don't talk much, but I really haven't had anyone around who actually plays, so…"

"What? You wanna trade friend codes or some junk?"

"Sure, why not." Shintaro reached for his phone again, unlocking the screen. "I have some good cards, so you should be able to get some good bonuses."

"Are you serious right now?"

Shintaro's hands stopped moving, but his eyes flicked up instantly. "Something wrong?" he asked. Shuuya attempted to grit his teeth to keep the words from coming out, but it didn't work.

"You're acting like nothing happened," Shuuya accused. "Like you think I'm okay with you being around." He dropped his hands to his lap, gripping onto his pant legs, waiting for something to be said, anything to justify himself. "Just because Onee-chan forgave you doesn't mean that I do!"

"I never assumed anything," Shintaro interrupted, and Shuuya hated him for being so calm, hated him for— "I was just trying. You didn't have to answer if you didn't want to." Shintaro shrugged, digging in his pocket and retrieving the white cord of headphones. "Just forget about it. Ayano just wants to have a nice dinner so don't ruin it."

"Oh, don't you make this sound like it's my fault! You're the one that—"

"I'm the one that what, exactly?"

"Are you guys okay?"

Shuuya bit his tongue to stop his answer, stepping back and nearly colliding with his chair. He didn't notice when he had stood up, but Shintaro was still sitting, if not straightened up from his previous slouch. Ayano was in the kitchen doorway, Tsubomi and Momo nervously flanking her sides. Shuuya turned away from them, barely registering the kitchen sink, even as he stared right at it.

"Shuuya, are you okay?" Ayano tugged at Shuuya's sleeve, and he flinched. "Shintaro, did you say something?"

Part of him felt some sort of satisfaction that Ayano sided with him—that some part of her favored him over Shintaro. No matter how much time had passed, that wasn't something that he could ignore, a feeling he couldn't erase.

"It's nothing important," Shintaro said, and Shuuya snorted. In his periphery, Shintaro frowned. "If I'm not wanted here, then I'll just go home. You and I can always go out some other time, Ayano." The chair scraped as Shintaro stood up, and Shuuya finally looked just so he could have the satisfaction of watching Shintaro walk out.

Ayano went to say something, but the words caught somewhere. Her face blanched, bordering on that expression that Shuuya had once said he would never let her have again, that pain and worry—

"Don't worry about it," Shuuya said, with far more bite than he should have let himself have. In the doorway, Tsubomi narrowed her eyes at him. "If it's that big of a bother, I won't go. You guys can have fun without me." He shrugged off Ayano's hand and elbowed his way past Tsubomi and Momo.

"Shuuya—"

"I really don't want anything to do with this, Onee-chan." He could hear her gasp, but made sure not to look back. He didn't want to see her look at him the same way she looked at Shintaro, with that same worry. "Just leave me alone."

* * *

"You can't keep doing this."

Shuuya's eyelids colored red as the light clicked on, and he rolled to face the wall, dragging his pillow over his head. The door clicked shut, but Kousuke's footsteps still treaded across the carpet, ending as he dropped down onto the edge of the bed. It didn't matter how much Shuuya could hope for his brother to give up and leave through silence; it just wasn't happening.

"I don't want to talk about him," Shuuya said, just barely loud enough to be heard. Even to his own ears, the words were muffled by the pillow. "I don't want to talk about what happened. Not about tonight, not about before. Not about—"

Not about how easy it was, not about how he had blamed Shintaro because it was simple, because it was easier than _admitting his own inaction, It was just so, so, so much easier to—_

"Is that feeling still there?" Kousuke asked. Based on his voice, he was still facing the opposite wall. "I've heard it from you before. It still hasn't left you." Shuuya's tongue clicked. If letting go of his emotions was as simple as escorting them out a door, he would have done it years ago. Kousuke waited several breaths before adding, "You do know you're going to have to tolerate him at some point, right? He and Onee-chan are dating, after all."

A sound close to a sob almost broke out of Shuuya's throat, but he managed to subdue it to a whine. Kousuke was just trying to be practical; he knew that. But it still wasn't something that Shuuya wanted to hear or to admit, that eventually Ayano would move on, that she would one day have bigger priorities than being his big sister.

Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, but he refused to make a sound. "Shuuya?" Kousuke said, probably looking over his shoulder. "Hey, I'm serious, if you want me to listen, then I can. I really don't mind."

"Don't," Shuuya choked out, hating the sound of his voice. "I really don't." Things were much easier when Kousuke would use his powers to find out things that couldn't be, didn't need to be said. "I can't do anything about it, so please, Kousuke, let's not…"

"Okay." Kousuke didn't say anything else, only stood and turned off the light. Shuuya expected him to leave, but the door didn't open. Instead, Kousuke settled onto the floor, his back pressing against the edge of the bed. Nothing else was said, but Shuuya couldn't help but breathe out a small chuckle.

The worst part of becoming more honest with himself was that he couldn't pretend the jealousy was a lie.

* * *

It was hardly even two weeks later when Shuuya found Shintaro again, waiting outside the school gates. Shuuya had planned to wait on Ayano to finish up her remedial lessons, but at this point it seemed like heading home was a much better idea. Even with the winter uniform back in session, the autumn winds had just enough bite to them to make Shuuya shiver. Really, it would be better to spend the afternoon studying for their next exam.

But Ayano wouldn't be alright if things kept up this way. Shuuya knew: he and Shintaro were very important to her, and she had never done well when others fought, especially not those close to her. Even when his, Kousuke, and Tsubomi's disagreements as kids had stressed her out. Like Kousuke had said, at some point Shuuya would have to suck it up and be civil.

Gulping down his breath, Shuuya strode up to the gate and leaned back on it, mirroring Shintaro's pose. All it earned him was a brief moment of eye contact, then Shintaro tugged out one of his earphones.

"I'm sorry," Shuuya said, the mask already in place before he could think better of it. A lie was a lie only so long as somebody knew it was false. He just needed to convince himself. "For before. I shouldn't have yelled like that." Shintaro looked mildly surprised. Shuuya took another breath but didn't let it show. "You and I…we've never started out on the right foot, have we?"

"Not really," Shintaro said. As far as he was concerned, they had met in the department store lockdown. Shuuya had probably seemed pretty suspicious then, but to him, he had known of Shintaro ever since Ayano had met him, had started about the classmate she admired and wanted to get closer to. Neither had been a good first impression. "Are you saying we start over?"

Shintaro was looking fully at him now. Shuuya knew his mask was perfect. "Not that." No matter how much he tried, they could never act like this was the first time. "But at the very least, I think we could try to move forward from here."

He offered his hand, covering up the grimace as Shintaro shook it.

If he pretended it was true, maybe it would become that way.

* * *

 _I can't even convince myself of this one,_ Shuuya reflected, once again stuck with Shintaro. Ayano had offered to help a classmate with their shrine's Shichigosan crowds, but had left her purse at the Kisaragi house as she rushed out the door. Being the only one with free time, Shuuya had volunteered to run pick up.

 _Well, too late now._

Mask secure, Shuuya put on his best smile. "Heya," he said, tossing up a wave. Really, this would have been easier if Momo had answered the door. "Did Onee-chan mention I was coming?"

"Yeah." Shintaro held Ayano's purse, and Shuuya grabbed the handle, only to have Shintaro keep his hold. "You're acting weird. If you don't like me, you can just say it."

"I don't know what you're talking about." If Shintaro would just let go, Shuuya could get on with his Sunday. "You're going to make Onee-chan sad if you say things like that."

Shintaro snorted so softly Shuuya wasn't sure he had actually heard it. "You're the one that's going to make her sad," Shintaro stated, maintaining eye contact. Really, he was resilient at the worst times. "She thinks you're getting better. But this isn't the first time you've used your eyes on me. I can tell the difference. So just knock it off."

The truth of the statement was enough for Shuuya to dig his nails into his palms, breaking his illusion. If he was just going to get called out, what was the point of the façade? "Does it bother you that much?" he asked, spreading his palms out. "I don't get what you're acting all high and mighty for. I'm just doing this for Onee-chan; it doesn't concern you."

"Are you even hearing yourself?" Shintaro scowled. "You're messing with me to make her happy and it's not my problem? Does that really make sense to you?"

"It shouldn't be a problem if you care for her as much as you say." Shuuya tapped a finger to his chin, snapping in mock realization. "Oh! That's right. I forgot that you might be out of practice. Back then, you wouldn't even look at her; completely ignored her. But she still thought you were so great." He chuckled. "When I was in her place then, you didn't even notice at all, just thought everything was fine while Onee-chan was worrying herself sick over keeping everyone safe—"

"Oh, that was you then? No wonder." Shintaro's tone dropped farther from his usual lazy register, and Shuuya had to resist the urge to head for the door. Ayano would be disappointed, so he at least needed the purse, if nothing else. "Has this been your problem the whole time? That you thought I didn't care? That I didn't feel guilty? That she didn't haunt me the way she haunted you?"

"What do you even know? You think just because you remember everything that means you _saw_ everything? Well you didn't! You couldn't do a damn thing to save her!"

 _And neither could I, I was right there and I completely missed—_

"That's what I mean," Shintaro said, and for a moment, Shuuya could see traces of himself looking at him, the expressions he had practiced to erase in the mirror. "No matter what time it was, no matter what loop, I could never find a way to save her. So that's why I'm doing what I can now to make up for it." Shintaro paused, waiting for a response, but Shuuya couldn't even think, let alone form words. "Did you know, that you've lashed out at me before?

"You have that potential but I don't want to believe that's all we're ever going to amount to. There aren't repeats on this anymore. You need to recognize that, too." Shuuya's phone vibrated in his pocket, but he didn't move. Shintaro pulled out his own, glancing at the screen before looking back up and offering out the purse. "Ayano's getting worried. You should get going."

This time Shintaro let go when Shuuya took the purse, and no one stopped him from escaping, either.

* * *

[NOTES] I caved and wrote angst for this one. Lots of angst. Originally I was going to have this led to a happy ending...but I couldn't think of one without the whole thing seeming contrived. Really, this just seemed the more natural route to take.

Thanks to Heinah and Chronic Guardian for the favorite and reviews! Somehow I still receive such amazing support week after week and it fills my heart with determination.

Anyway, the prompts this time were "Escape" and "The Distance Between," which I think were both pretty self-explanatory in how they made their way into the piece. They just lined up so well with the fact that this was Shintaro's entry that I don't think I'll get another perfect match like this again.

That being said, go check out the [Twelve Shots of Summer] folks for (probably) much lighter pieces than this! There's all sorts of stuff out there, and a couple of folks are giving it their all and are worth keeping an eye on! Even though the summer's two-thirds over, that doesn't make it the end. There's plenty more to come, and maybe you might consider contributing a bit? :3

Next week is "The First Experience." "The You I Knew," optional En Medias Res, Winter, and Hibiya! A strange combination, but I should be able to get something out of it, even if things are kinda small. Look forward to more on-time posts the rest of summer!

[POST] 072316

[EDIT] 072716


	9. 08 Unload

**Twelve Shots of Shuuya**

By: Aviantei

A _Kagerou Project_ Anthology

[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit 9/12]

08\. Unload

* * *

"You've gotten taller."

"Yeah, I'm taller than you now. So shut up and help me carry these things inside."

"Sure, sure~."

"What's that grin for?"

"Oh, nothing. I just think it's cute that you wore matching clothes."

"We did not!"

"Blue and pink are good colors for you by the way."

"Give it a rest already…"

"Man, she's still dragging you around, though? I didn't think you'd be coming along for a New Year's trip."

"Hiyori wanted to talk about her sister…I just got invited to be the bag boy."

"Well, there are worse things to do when you first get to a place anyways."

"You're right. We should be able to get everything inside pretty quickly. She didn't pack too much this time."

"Wait, there's more than this? How many bags does she even need?!"

* * *

[NOTES] I know what you're thinking: What the hell is this? It's called I'm super crammed for time this week plus I couldn't think of proper narration if I tried. So: dialogue only piece. (Seriously sorry)

Thanks to Chronic Guardian for the favorite and review! Additional thanks to Hainah for talking to me about this story over PM! Thanks in general for putting up with me!

This week's prompts were: "The First Experience" (the first moments of Hibiya's arrival) and "The You I Knew" (my crummy crack at Hibiya's height change).

Wow, I am soooo frazzled. Gomen.

Next week we have Graduation, Scars, optional Foreshadowing, Konoha, and Spring! Maybe I was wrong and CG did have more perfectly fitting prompts up his sleeve. Oh, and proper writing. We'll have that next week, too...

[POST] 073016

[EDIT] 080416


	10. 09 Memento

**Twelve Shots of Shuuya**

By: Aviantei

A _Kagerou Project_ Anthology

[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit 10/12]

09\. Memento

* * *

"Oh, there you are Haruka-senpai! Did Onee-chan get a hold of you for your present?"

For a party with so few people attending, they had somehow managed to fill up Haruka's living room, and the amount of noise was impressive. Shuuya gave credit to the shooting game tournament Ene had set up on the TV. Haruka had taken up a spot to the side to observe for the round, while Ene and Shintaro seemed to be trying for the thousandth time to settle some old grudge match from years ago.

"Yes, she did," Haruka answered, looking on in amusement, his hands twitching on the table. Shuuya dropped down into an empty fold-out chair across from Haruka, popping a handful of party mix into his mouth. "I want to thank all of you. It was nice of you guys to get me a new art kit. Those markers aren't cheap."

Shuuya shrugged, fumbling with the tab of his pop can. "You deserved something nice," he said, narrowly avoiding spraying cola onto his shirt. Momo must have been getting a bit giddy when she had passed it over; he would have to make sure Tsubomi kept an eye on her. "I mean, we got something for Ene, too." Good thing they had talked Ayano out of going for Ene's newest desired computer upgrade— _that_ would have really gone and blown their budget.

"I'm sure she appreciates it." Haruka smiled. Sure enough, the high-end screen displayed every ounce of splattering gun gore perfectly. The cluster around the TV cheered loudly, and Shuuya just barely caught a glimpse of Tsubomi before she disappeared, looking queasy. "They're both so good already. I can't believe they opened it just an hour ago."

"That's gamer freaks for ya. Those two are on a whole other level." Shuuya chose to focus on his paper plate, following the swirls of yellow on white. "Not your scene?" he asked.

Haruka blinked, shaking his head as he turned away from the game. "Oh, no, I like games like that plenty." Shuuya raised an eyebrow; maybe Haruka wasn't as mild mannered as he thought? "Takane and I actually play games together a lot. I think she's trying to make up from her loss at the culture festival all those years ago."

Ayano had taken Shintaro the festival all those years ago, hadn't she? Avoiding the thought, Shuuya offered up his snack plate. "You want some?" Haruka nodded, immediately grabbing a handful to munch on, crumbs flecking onto his cheeks. Shuuya blinked, leaning to the side of the table. Haruka's eyes followed him, but he continued chewing. "Sorry. I just didn't realize you still had those."

Haruka raised his fingertips to his cheek, brushing over the circles there, almost connecting the dots. Though the color had changed from pink to black, they were still the only remnant of his previous body. "Oh, these?" Haruka asked, sounding every bit like he had forgotten they were there. He chuckled, nearly causing Shuuya to drop his cheese puff. "I guess I could get rid of them, but I never really thought to."

"Just 'cause?"

"Kano-san, are you ready to graduate?"

This time a pretzel escaped Shuuya's fingers, clattering back into the plate of mix. "Huh?"

Haruka smiled, setting his hands on the table. "This is my and Takane, and Kisaragi's graduation, but next year it will yours and Ayano's." Saying it out loud like that made the whole thing seem much more concrete. "And a couple of years after that, Hibiya and Hiyori will, too. Eventually we'll all move on and separate. That's just how things are."

"That's…not a really encouraging thought."

"Ah, you didn't let me finish," Haruka scolded, tapping his finger on the table. "I was just trying to say that when we start moving forward, it might be easy to forget what brought us all together." He tilted his head, showing off the spots beneath his eye. "But it'll be okay, because I'm proof that it all happened."

"Proof that it all happened, huh?" Shuuya exhaled, brushing cheese dust from his fingers to his pants. "I guess we kind of need something like that, huh? Just in case."

Haruka nodded. "Exactly. No one has to worry, because I'm here." He stood, stretching out his arms. "Hm, I think I'm gonna get something to drink. Would you like me to get you anything, Kano-san?"

* * *

[NOTES] Bleh, something about this one doesn't feel right. (Whine, grumble)

Thanks to Chronic Guardian for the review, as well as the chat the other evening! With how scrambled I am, you're an amazing rock to rely on. Seriously, thanks.

Anyway, sorry if I'm out of it. I had a stressful class, I managed to pass the stressful class, and I'm still kinda in shock from it. Anyway, the prompts here were "Graduation" (rather obvious, I think) and "Scars" (which sorta counts if you consider Haruka's little cheek marks, though only if you squint). I coulda made scars a lot more angstier from Shuuya's perspective, though. Maybe that's why this one seems so incomplete...

But grumbling won't fix anything. It's time to keep moving forward! Next week is "For the ones who couldn't make it" and "Gardening"! These fit perfectly into the piece I wanted to write for this week anyway, so excellent! Also, you may have noticed that I'm out of official Mekakushi Dan members, but there are two one-shots left! Who oh who will I use for the last two prompts of summer...? Tune in next week to find out!

[POST] 080616


	11. XX-10 Reunion

**[NOTE]** Due to some slight cursing, this particular one shot is rated T.

* * *

 **Twelve Shots of Shuuya**

By: Aviantei

A _Kagerou Project_ Anthology

[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit 11/12]

XX./10. Reunion

[Kagerou Day 2016]

* * *

Shuuya had taken extra care to get up early, but the summer heat was still unrelenting, even with the sun just barely risen in the sky. The hike wasn't helping much when combined with the humidity, either, sweat slicking his skin and sticking in his clothes. At this rate, they would probably be facing the hottest, muggiest August since three years ago.

 _Time flies, huh? But, seriously, would it have killed Haruka-senpai to put this a bit closer to home?_

Association with Marry and Kousuke came paired with a familiarity with the woods. Too bad Haruka had wanted to avoid that familiarity and instead had chosen a pathless area winding uphill as a spot for the memorial. If he hadn't sketched out a detailed map beforehand, Shuuya surely would have gotten lost.

As it was, he finally reached his destination a half-hour after setting out, nearly wheezing from exhaustion, only to find someone already there.

A fluffy reddish-brown ponytail bounced softly with her movements, and Shuuya nearly slipped down the hill from shock. Getting ahold of himself thanks to the support of a nearby tree, he managed to step forward to see past her form. Sure enough, the small carving in wood was stuck into the ground, surrounded by an arrangement of pebbles she was pressing into the dirt with her fingertip. While she had changed her style to something more suited to the weather, a wooden pencil was still tucked behind her ear, steadfastly ignoring the mechanical advancements of the modern age.

"Ryoko," Shuuya said. Ryoko took her time placing a few more oval-shaped stones around the wood carving before looking up.

"Kano," she answered, shuffling off her ankles as support and plopping into the dirt. "I thought Kokonose would be here instead. I haven't seen him all morning."

"He's on a university trip with Ene." Ryoko nodded, her eyes trained on the small memorial. How much distance was too close? Too far? Focusing on not disturbing Ryoko's rock pattern, Shuuya left half a meter between them before sitting in the dirt. "He asked me to come instead since no one else would. How did you even get here, though? And don't say investigative journalism."

Ryoko adjusted her bangs, snatching the pencil from behind her ear in the process. "More like being a nibshit, but you get the point." Shuuya didn't know why he had even expected a straight answer. "Kokonose makes some interesting drawings these days. I took a chance and here I am." She sighed, finally looking Shuuya's direction. He quickly adjusted his posture. "Come on, haven't you learned to relax around me?"

Shuuya breathed out a chuckle. "Absolutely not." Ryoko shrugged and assumed tracing aimless patterns in a patch of dirt beside her. "I didn't even know you got back. You should have called me. Don't say you don't have my number."

"Oyaji wanted to visit. I planned on stopping by later, if it offends you that much," Ryoko remarked. Even as she drew, her eyes stayed on him, and Shuuya almost expected the flash of red—so uncommon these days, but still seared into his memory. "I'm glad you've decided to find something better to do with your time than lie it away."

She sounded smug, though Shuuya couldn't tell what for. She had vanished like the summer heat three years ago and had hardly dropped word since, traveling with her father. Like Shuuya, she was pretty much an adult now, if not more so. There was so much he could have forgotten since then, but Ryoko probably had catalogued much more.

The silence hardly existed—the wind rustling tree branches, birds chirping, echoed cries of cicadas. When Shuuya didn't rise to her taunt, Ryoko looked to her dirt lines, retracing over them. "So what did he set this thing up for anyways? I can hardly tell what it's supposed to be."

"And you call yourself an investigator," Shuuya said, earning a furrow in her brow. Seemed that part of her ego hadn't changed. Unable to keep the light tone, Shuuya cleared his throat before continuing. "That thing's pretty old, but Haruka-senpai said it was supposed to be a snake. You know, for him."

Even the mention still turned Shuuya's tongue sour, and Ryoko properly frowned, her pencil freezing midline. If you tried to put it into words, there was no way to convey everything the Mekakushi Dan felt about the Clearing Eyes Snake, about three years ago, about their time with the Heat Haze—

"I see," Ryoko remarked, her tone evenly neutral. She must have worked hard on that unaffected drawl. She flipped the pencil into her palm so smoothly that Shuuya wouldn't have been surprised if her free hand produced a notebook the next second. "And because you were with the Clearing Eyes snake when he possessed your adoptive father, Kokonose figured you would at least somewhat understand, right?"

"Pretty much." Shuuya couldn't really say he understood completely, but Haruka had been right about one thing: Shuuya couldn't completely disregard the Snake, even if he wanted to. Its desires had matched up with Kenjiro's, which had been the same as Shuuya's then. Even if they had gotten hurt, Ayano had returned to them in the end. Shuuya couldn't deny that. "Does it bother you?"

"Hm." Shuuya's fingers found a small twig, and he settled on breaking it into smaller pieces to hide any nervous movements. "I don't think I have any particular right to be bothered by such a thing," she said. "My eyes used to do a lot more than just tell me when you were lying, you know?"

Eye contact hit him like a construction beam. Ryoko's gaze was steady, and Shuuya didn't look away until she snickered. "W-what are you laughing at?"

"You," she answered, muffling the rest of her laughter in her bare shoulder. "Don't tell me you're still afraid of me, Kano. I've only ever looked for the truth, not trouble."

"Too bad those aren't mutually exclusive," Shuuya grumbled, trying to find a convincing way to claim his blush was sunburn. Not that there was much of a point with Ryoko's attention to detail. Shuuya settled for leaning back so he could stare at the canopy of leaves above him. "What did you mean, though? What did you do back then?"

He glanced to Ryoko in his peripheral, tapping her pencil to the ground, denting spots into her patterns. "You make it sound so ominous," she said. Well, it was her choice of words to blame for that one. "I don't think I did anything particularly bad. But I did see a lot. Stuff even Amamiya's eyes couldn't reach."

Shuuya swallowed without meaning to. Out of all of them, Hibiya's vision had always been the most impressive in scope.

"There was an undercurrent to the Heat Haze," Ryoko said, all movement ceasing save for her lips. "Ripples in its movement. Something that leaked into this world. I looked into it, and all the places where those ripples were had deaths connected to them." Shuuya put the pieces together without her even saying it, but the journalistic reveal insisted she continue. "There were…gaps in the city. Where the Heat Haze opened up and swallowed our partners. That's what got me started on looking into the whole mess in the first place."

Ryoko paused to brush her pencil off, leaving a streak of dirt on her dark jeans, before sticking the eraser end between her teeth. "They're all gone, though," she said, answering the question before Shuuya could ask. "I went around and looked, and all traces of the Heat Haze have disappeared from this world. Except for well…"

She looked back to the wood carving, to Haruka's handmade memorial. Shuuya squinted, but he couldn't see anything different. It was just a stick in the dirt, now surrounded by a meticulously organized pattern of pebbles. When he looked back to Ryoko, though, her eyes were red, a sure sign of her power's activity.

"What does it look like?" Shuuya asked, and Ryoko tugged the pencil away from her mouth, tucking it back into place behind her ear.

"Just like it used to: that moment where too much heat comes off the pavement and distorts the air." Yeah, Shuuya wasn't seeing anything like that, but his eyes had never been good at finding things. "It's small, only about this tall, and this wide." Ryoko's hands hovered a few centimeters above the wood carving, then spread apart to the diameter of her rock arrangement. "Nothing like it used to be. I don't think anything could come out of it if it tried."

"What about getting inside?"

"Not happening, either. The connection's too dull for that."

Shuuya realized he had leaned forward without meaning to and forced himself to sit back. The tension still stuck in his shoulders, though. "Do we have to worry about it, though? I mean, Marry said that the Snake wasn't going to be an issue…" Given, there was still a lot they hadn't figured out about the Heat Haze. If there was another danger coming, they needed to be ready.

Ryoko shook her head, finally looking back to Shuuya. "It doesn't feel the same as before. I just think it's a connection if we need it. I mean, I tried talking into it, to see if anything would happen, but I didn't get an answer." She frowned again, though she looked more sad than angry at the lack of results.

Shuuya inhaled through his nose and brushed a few stray strands of hair from his face. "Who were you trying to talk to?"

Ryoko flinched—small, but still perceptible. He must have hit a nerve if that was her reaction. There weren't too many of them left in the Heat Haze, but Shuuya couldn't think of anyone that Ryoko would have an interest in. After that August fifteenth, she had called her own investigation closed.

"My brother was the one who died with me," Ryoko said softly, staring at the ground. Her eyes had lost their sheen of red. "We were a miscarriage. In the end, I got the power and he was left behind." It wasn't a hesitation he was used to seeing on her, but she looked as if there was something left to be said. "I saw him. He had grown up over there, on the other side. I just thought I might be able to talk to him properly. That's all. I mean, don't you have things you wish you could have said to your mother?"

This time, Shuuya was the one to recoil, and Ryoko murmured a "Sorry" into the air. "Investigative journalism," she offered as an excuse.

"More like nibshitting," Shuuya dryly retorted, pushing his thoughts far from his mother. There would be time to remember that later, when he was secure with his family, when they could all take their time to understand and reflect.

Ryoko half-heartedly smirked, but it was better than her expression from before. "Ah, now you're getting it."

Silence without silence followed again. Shuuya looked back to the memorial, hoping to find something, anything, that indicated the presence of the Heat Haze on the other side. He couldn't find anything. The more he stared, the more it looked like a scene from a movie than something he was actually seeing. Even if there was a chance someone on the other side could hear him, what would he even try to say?

"I should get going," Ryoko said, brushing dirt and bits of dried plants from her pants as she stood. "I really only came to see what was out here, and I guess I know now. Nothing I can write up on, but not every lead has to be worth the effort of words."

"Hold up." Shuuya had grabbed her wrist before she had even taken a step. A little bit lower and he and Ryoko would have been holding hands. "You've been gone for so long—are you going to stay this time?"

Ryoko looked down to him, eyebrows raised. Shuuya scrambled to stand properly, putting them on eye level. "Is that a request?" she asked, metering her words out carefully.

"Ryoko—" Shuuya protested.

"Not this time." Shuuya's tongue stuck to the top of his mouth. Ryoko propped her free hand on her waist. "Oyaji and I still have a lot that we're looking into. And even if I've been pulling in some pretty pocket money, that doesn't mean I'm quite ready to settle down just yet." Shuuya wasn't holding onto her wrist that tightly. She could pull away any time she wanted.

"But you're not leaving today, right?" Shuuya stepped closer, and Ryoko blinked at the sudden proximity. "Then at least come and hang out with us today," he insisted. "The Mekakushi Dan always gets together today. Sure, Haruka-senpai and Ene can't make it, but everyone else will. I'm sure they'll want to see you. And, well, sure we're gonna go out, but it'll be my treat."

"Huh?" Good, he had managed to fluster her enough. Things were always much easier when Ryoko's guard was down. "Kano, what are you trying so hard for?"

"It's your birthday, right?" Shuuya said, and Ryoko fell silent. "Then that's the least I can do for you."

And even though she tried to fight it, Ryoko's lips curled into a smile.

* * *

[NOTES] Because what would be an Aviantei fic without an OC? Seriously.

Once more, thanks to Chronic Guardian for the feedback! Maybe with some effort we can fix the last piece...Hm.

Anyway, yes, I went there. And by there I mean teasing a project I'd like to get to some day. Given everything on my plate, who knows, but until then, this serves as kind of an epilogue... Eh, whatever, I'm sure it works. I like how this one came together at the very least.

But the prompts. "Those who were left behind" feels rather obvious, considering the whole concept of the Heat Haze and the memorial here. "Gardening" I took in rock gardening sort of way, which let me add a lot of cool details (I think). Wonder how Haruka's gonna react when he comes back and finds pebbles everywhere.

I'm also counting this as my Kagerou Day piece for this year! While it would have been nice to post it on the fifteenth, that does not fall in writing challenge guidelines...so it's a bit early. In any event, it's directly connected to last year's T-Sauce piece from this time, "The Memorial." Technically, it's the third in a sequence, but "Natalis" is so it's own thing I don't even know if that properly counts. That being said, have a good Kagerou Day folks! Be wary of the Heat Haze.

Anyway, this is the next to last piece of the summer, too! That means next weekend will be the final piece in this collection, too. For the prompts, we have "My friends are my power" and "These Days We Chance Upon." While I'll be doing something small, I hope you'll stick around for it nonetheless.

Please look forward to it.

[POST] 081316


	12. Blank

**Twelve Shots of Shuuya**

By: Aviantei

A _Kagerou Project_ Anthology

[Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit 12/12]

. _

* * *

 _These children have matured more than I thought  
even as the air crisps, losing  
its heat—I can still glimpse at them,  
their eyes facing forward, standing  
together through the cycle of faded memory, facing  
away from me.  
Isn't that life?_

 _Little liar child, it's as if your  
gaze has found something new to convey.  
What are you trying to communicate,  
that new ideal, I ask—_

 _Have you found your truth?_

* * *

[NOTES] I thought a poem would be fitting.

Thanks to Heinah, Chronic Guardian, and TimeOfTheAngels for their respective reviews and favorites. Additional thanks to everyone in Sauce Project for being awesome and writing/reading this summer, and everyone else who took the time to go through this.

The prompts were "My friends are my power!" and "These Days We Chance Upon." I'll let them speak for themselves this time.

Not to cloud up this too much with an author's note, but I recommend looking into any story with a [Twelve Shots of Summer], [Twelve Shots of Summer: Second Raid], or [Twelve Shots of Summer: Trinity Limit] tag. They're all very much worth it. And, hey, maybe we'll see you around [Equinoctial Stars over Seasons] or [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm].

Thanks again for reading,  
-Aviantei

[COMPLETE] 082016


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